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Scandinavia all class in Trophy

Scandinavia enhanced his Classic aspirations when getting his career back on track with an authoritative victory in the Bahrain Trophy at Newmarket.

Last sighted finished fifth in the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot the son of Justify readily turned the form around with the re-opposing Furthur, who finished three places further forward in second, in the Group Three contest.

After settling in behind Furthur for much of the early stages of the one mile five furlong prize the well-supported 11/8 favourite, who was racing in first time cheekpieces, moved almost effortlessly alongside the early leader approaching the final three furlongs of the race.

It looked for a fleeting moment that Betfred Derby eighth Nightime Dancer would mount a serious challenge to the market leader, however his effort quickly came to nothing.

Despite the race being in safe keeping Scandinavia showed no signs of easing up and he relentlessly bounded on all the way to the line before crossing the line eight and a half lengths clear of Nightime Dancer.

Paul Smith, representing the winning connections Coolmore, said: “He did that very well and he seems to have progressed nicely from Ascot. Ryan was very happy with him.

“He said he is uncomplicated and that he got into a lovely rhythm. We could have some fun with him over those longer distances now.

“He was out wide a long way at Ascot, but he came back good and bounced out of that race well. He really enjoyed the ground so we are looking forward to him.

“I asked Ryan if the cheekpieces helped and he said they didn’t make a lot of difference. He just said he is a lovely uncomplicated horse.

“He was in a very comfortable space and he had just improved from Ascot. The display hasn’t surprised me much as we knew he was a good horse and he just had a tough passage at Ascot.”

Following the race Scandinavia was cut from 20/1 into 6/1 for the Betfred St Leger which Smith admitted is now likely to be his target.

He added: “I think the English St Leger and Irish St Leger are open to him. Maybe he will be a cup horse next year. We can plot our way to those nice staying races at the end of the year now.”

Sky Bet also go 5/1 from 20s for the Great Voltigeur at York next month and spokesman Michael Shinners said: "That was an incredibly taking performance and clearer the further he went the better. It will be fascinating to see where he turns up next ."

El Cordobes going global

International assignments look likely to beckon for El Cordobes who gained the biggest success of his career when coming from last to first to land the Princess Of Wales’s Stakes and give jockey William Buick his 2,000th British winner.

After running out the winner of a mile and a half handicap at the Rowley Mile in May, the Frankel gelding had subsequently come up short in the Group Three Aston Park Stakes over the same trip and in the Listed Grand Cup Stakes at York over two furlongs further.

A drop back in distance seemed to work the oracle for the four-year-old, who was one of two runners in the Group Two prize for trainer Charlie Appleby, alongside recently-gelded stablemate Arabian Crown.

Ahead of the starting stalls opened there was drama off the track with short-priced favourite, and recent Hardwicke Stakes runner-up, Ghostwriter, rearing up in the pre-parade ring before landing on his back leading to his late withdrawal.

Leaving just the four runners to go to post it was new favourite, and last year’s German Derby winner, Palladium that took the field along for much of the early race before the taps were really turned inside the final half a mile.

As Palladium’s challenge wilted it was left to the other three to scrap it out for the victory, but it soon became clear El Cordobes was going to be the one to beat once switched around his two rivals by two-time champion Buick.

And having seen off stablemate Arabian Crown, the 7/2 chance then found extra reserves late on to get the better of a late duel with Wimbledon Hawkeye by two lengths to hand Buick his milestone winner.

Appleby said: “We paid a few quid for him at the end of the day and he has got a pedigree you can like, but he has been a horse that could just become one of our stable international travellers in what he is achieving.

“I stepped him up to the mile and six (furlongs) at York for one reason only as I thought he is maybe a Melbourne Cup horse, but he told us there he wasn’t.

“Coming back to the mile and a half we were confident as he loves quick ground and it was a great ride by William.

“It wasn’t a tactical race, but they didn’t go an end-to-end gallop. He was in a position, where if he hadn’t got the horse underneath him to pick up, it could have been a bit tricky, but he had the right horse

“I would imagine we would now go travelling with him. One thing he will do is he will travel, and what we are seeing with him as he is getting a little bit older, is that he is maturing well and taking his racing well and he is a straightforward horse to handle.

“He is one of those horses you can park up, or if you want to go and lead on him you can go lead on him, or if you want to drop in he will drop in. He has got the versatility there to be able to travel which is what you need.

“William was happy to get on this fella dropping back in trip as I feel Arabian Crown wants stepping to a mile six (furlongs) and we hoped it would happen that way around.”

More joy for Buick and Appleby

Opera Ballo hit all the high notes on his way to a fourth career success to set up a return to pattern race level with a striking victory in the Edmondson Hall Solicitors Sir Henry Cecil Stakes.

The talented son of Ghaiyyath got his career back on track in the Listed Heron Stakes at Sandown Park last time out after blotting his copybook when proving too keen in the Group Three Craven Stakes on the Rowly Mile back in April.

Although saddled with a three pounds penalty for his latest victory it failed to stop the Godolphin-owned colt from being sent off the 11-8 favourite to give trainer Applebly and Buick a third winner on the card in the Listed event.

Sat in behind stablemate Spectacular View through the early stages of the mile prize the market leader quickly went through the gears when pulled out to make his challenge by Buick before coasting home by two and three quarter lengths.

Appleby said: “I would have been disappointed if he got beaten to be honest with you. He is a very exciting horse that we have felt a lot of in the winter.

“He is, dare I say, showing signs of his father there, in that he is a strong minded horse as he loves to grab hold of that bit, but he is a great galloper and he has got a great engine.

“I blame myself for his defeat in the Craven. As we all are doing in the spring we are looking for Guineas horses, and the more you have in the Guineas the better chance you have got. In doing so I asked him questions I shouldn’t have done.

“He is a high temp horse, and as Will said, he has got enough speed to win over six furlongs, but he is a mile and a quarter horse really.

“People asked whether I should have run him in the Jersey, but if you start putting speed into those horses you can potentially lose them.

“It is more about learning here than what we are trying to achieve at home. Each step that we gain going forward here is hopefully going the right way to a bright future for him.”

Regarding future plans a foray over to France now could be on the horizon for Opera Ballo according to Appleby.

Appleby added: “He is a horse that we will carry on taking baby steps with, and people will ask why haven’t we been a bit punchier, but he is a horse I am very much working back from next year with as you won’t see the best of him until next year.

"I want him to nurse him along the way that you could set off along the way with a horse to go to war with.

“I don’t think that track (Goodwood) will suit him. We might take him to Deauville for a Group Three to get a little bit of travelling into him as the track will suit him.

“Will did say he will appreciate a bit of ease in the ground as that was quick enough out there for him today.

“He might only have a couple of runs this year then we put him away for next year.”

As for the runner-up Seagulls Eleven, who is owned by Two Plus Three Two Plus Four, which is made up of current and former Brighton & Hove Albion players, his trainer Hugo Palmer hinted the Group Three Bonhams Thoroughbred Stakes at Goodwood could be next up.

He said: “He ran super at Ascot (in the Jersey Stakes). He was drawn the wrong side and he ran a really good race. In his race at Ascot he was second, but we have met a very swanky horse today.

"I guess the obvious thing for us to do is go to the Thoroughbred Stakes at Goodwood.

“He had a few reverses last year that just knocked his confidence and we have worked hard to build that confidence back.

"He has now put two good runs together in a row which after the Dewhurst, which was disappointing, the Breeders’ Cup, which was disappointing and the 2000 Guineas it looked like we were going the wrong way, but we are now going the right way.”

Crimson Rose put her previous experience to good use when forming the middle leg of Appleby and Buick’s haul with a four length victory in the British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden Fillies’ Stakes.

Appleby said of the 7/2 winner: “She is a handy enough filly that is neat. Is she a Guineas filly, no.

"She had the experience under her belt, was fit, and came up here and did nothing wrong, but I don’t think she is a proper stakes filly in my opinion.

“We will keep her at six furlongs as she was a little edgy in the gates so we will try and calm her down in there.”

Improving India wins in style

Marco Botti appears to have another potential Group race performer on his hands in Prince Of India, who left his rivals trailing in his path in the Bet Boost At bet365 Handicap.

Having not finished outside the first two in his four previous outings this season the son of Wootton Bassett, who was put up at double-figure odds by our tipsters Ben Linfoot and Matt Brocklebank, kept up that record with victory number three of the campaign.

With stablemates Giavellotto and Great Generation already establishing themselves at Group-race level, it looks likely that the Vaibhav Shah-owned colt has a chance of following suit.

All the action in the six-furlong prize appeared to be taking place on the far side with early leader, and eventual runner-up, American Style doing his level best to hold off a host of late challengers.

However, no one had accounted for Prince Of India, who ploughed what was to be a winning lone furrow closer to the stands' side rail before eventually going on to collect victory by three and a quarter lengths.

Botti said: “For a while I thought this would be the race for him, but beforehand I had my doubts about the ground. We had that little bit of rain on Monday, but then it has been so hot. I hoped it was not going to be too quick for him, but that stiff finish up the hill meant he got away with it.

“Six furlongs is probably about right, or an easy seven, but he has definitely got plenty of toe. I know they went quickly, but he finished well.

"Marco (Ghiani) said to me at one point he had to make a decision about coming between horses, but he felt he was heading in a nice rhythm and he didn’t want to break his stride.

“He thought giving him the clear daylight and having a clear run was the way forward so that looked like the right decision afterwards.

“I think he is ready for a step up in class. Once he gets a little bit of give in the ground he will appreciate it. There is a little bit more to come."

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